The USC Medical Biophysics Group (MBG), headed by Prof. Rommel G. Bacabac, together with the  Holy Name University (HNU) Center for Marine Science Studies (CeMSS), managed by Prof. Hyacinth N. Suarez, recently organized the 8^th MBG Biophysics Symposium on a hybrid set-up, with the theme “Future Horizons in Biophysics: Building Partnerships and Reshaping Possibilities” on July 11, 2024. 

This event highlighted the collaborative program, funded by the Niche Centers in the Regions (NICER) for R&D program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to establish the MBG Center for Tissue Engineering and Biological Soft Materials.  

HNU President Rev. Fr. Ruel Lero, SVD, Ph.D., welcomed all participants of the symposium, which included 14 plenary speakers from Japan, Philippines, New Zealand, U.S.A., and the Netherlands. It was attended by over 100 onsite and 52 online participants from different schools and organizations in Bohol, Cebu, Leyte, Manila, and Japan. Fr. Ramilo Mapaye, SVD, Ph.D., HNU’s Vice President for Academic Affairs officially concluded the whole-day event.

The Cebu Doctors University Hospital (CDUH) and the DOST Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) Materials Development Laboratory (MATDEV) collaborate with USC MBG to develop technologies for fabricating bone implants, a bolus for radiation therapy, and artificial tissues using additive manufacturing. 

Prof. Rommel Bacabac, Dr. Marianito Margarito, and Rhodesa Cruzet presented the latest results of the component projects of the program. Their research anticipates future applications in patient-specific medical treatments, where surgeons collaborate closely with industry and the academe to utilize clinical images to 3D-print functional tissue replacements directly. 

Onsite plenary speakers and their topics included the following: 

1. Prof. Shingo Matsukawa (Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Japan) on “Physicochemical Properties of Mixed Gelatin Solutions”;
2. Prof. Rommel Bacabac on “3D Bio-fabrication of Bone, Muscle, and Pancreatic Biomimetic Tissue Models for Injectable and Printable Scaffolds”;
3. Prof. Marianito Margarito (MATDEV-DOST-ITDI, Manila) on “Development and Performance Evaluation of Biocompatible Materials and Pore Design Structure for 3D Printed Artificial Bone Implants”; 
4. Prof. Frances Edillo (USC Mosquito Research Laboratory) on “Impacts of Weather on Chikungunya, Dengue and Zika Viruses in Asian Tiger Mosquitoes from Selected Cebu City Sites, Philippines”;
5. Engr. Jocelyn Reyes (DOST-ITDI) on “Bioceramic Research and Innovation Projects”; and 
6. Dale Mhar Alfeche (DOST-ITDI) on “Ceramic Materials in Total Knee Replacement: Challenges and Solutions”.  

Online plenary speakers included the following: 

1. Dr. Lester Geonzon (University of Tokyo, Japan) on “Elaborating the Rheological Properties and Spatiotemporal Hierarchical Structure of Carrageenan Gels during Sol-gel Transition”;
2. Dr. Faith Bernadette Descallar (Riddet Institute, Massey University, New Zealand) on “Structural Changes of Milk during Gastric Digestion: Implication for Nutrient Delivery”;
3. Rhodesa Cruzet (CDUH) on “Development and Characterization of 3D-Printed Carrageenan Bolus for Tissue Engineering and Biological Soft Materials”;
4. Prof. Rigoberto Advincula (University of Tennessee, USA), who was in Germany during his talk, on “Nanostructured Materials, Surfaces and Bioapplications”; and
5. Prof. Gijsje Koenderink (Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands) on ”The Role of Cytoskeletal Crosstalk in Cell Mechanics”. 

Moreover, there were three online plenary speakers from the Department of Oral Cell Biology, Academic Center for Dentistry, Amsterdam: 

1. Dr. Jianfeng Jin who presented “Mechanotransduction in Bone Cells: Force Changes Cell Shape and Function”;
2. Prof. Jenneke Klein-Nulend on “Use It or Lose It: That’s What Bone Cells Tell Us”; and 
3. Prof. Astrid Bakker on “The Future of Cell Culture”.

by Frances Edillo, Ph.D. and Rommel Bacabac, Ph.D.